HMCo #639s Cara Mia

S00639_Old_Timer_ex-Cara_Mia_Rotopress.jpg

Particulars

Construction_Record_Title.jpgName: Cara Mia
Later Name(s): Carmelita (1910-1916), Mizpah (1917-1921), Fiji II (1922-1929), Fiji II / Fei-Seen V (1930), Old Timer [Oldtimer] (1931-1940), Cara Mia (1941-1978), Cara Mia / Lightning (1979), Cara Mia (1980-)
Type: New York 30
Designed by: NGH
Contract: 1904-12-6
Launch: 1905-3-9
Construction: Wood
LOA: 43' 6" (13.26m)
LWL: 30' 0" (9.14m)
Beam: 8' 9" (2.67m)
Draft: 6' 3.5" (1.92m)
Construction Class and Number: #626-13
Rig: Sloop
Sail Area: 1,085sq ft (100.8sq m)
Displ.: 17,696 lbs (8,027 kg)
Keel: yes
Ballast: Lead outside
Built for: Wainwright, Stuyvesant
Amount: N/A
Current owner: Private Owner, Newport, RI (last reported 2016 at age 111)

Note: Particulars are primarily but not exclusively from the HMCo Construction Record. Supplementary information not from the Construction Record appears elsewhere in this record with a complete citation.


Model

Model #106Model number: 106
Model location: H.M.M. Model Room South Wall Left

Vessels from this model:
18 built, modeled by NGH
#626s Alera (1905, Extant)
#627s Ibis (1905, Extant)
#628s Atair (1905)
#629s Maid of Meudon [Maid of Mendon] (1905)
#630s Pintail (1905)
#631s Dahinda (1905)
#632s Tabasco [Tobasco] (1905, Extant)
#633s Carlita (1905, Extant)
#635s Adelaide II (1905, Extant)
#636s Linnet (1905, Extant)
#637s Oriole [Nautilus] (1905, Extant)
#638s Neola II (1905, Extant)
#639s Cara Mia (1905, Extant)
#640s Banzai (1905, Extant)
#642s Nautilus (1905, Extant)
#643s Phryne (1905)
#647s Anemone Jr. (1905, Extant)
#648s Minx (1905)

Original text on model:
"30' NYYC class Nov. 1904 scale 3/4 No. 626, 627, 628, 629, 630, 631, 632, 633 and 635, 636, 637, 638, 639 [sic, also: #640, #642, #643, #647, #648]" (Source: Original handwritten annotation on model. Undated.)

Model Description:
"30' lwl New York Yacht Club 30-class sloops of 1905. Eighteen were built over the course of a single winter of which about half still survive. Anemone, NY-30 [#647] is in the Herreshoff Marine Museum's collection, awaiting restoration." (Source: Bray, Maynard. 2004.)

Note: Vessels that appear in the records as not built, a cancelled contract, a study model, or as a model sailboat are listed but not counted in the list of vessels built from a model.


Offsets

Offset booklet number(s): HH.4.148

Offset booklet contents:
#626 - #633 inclusive [30' w.l. NYYC 30-class sloops].


Offset Booklet(s) in Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection. Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections, MIT Museum, Cambridge, Mass. (Restricted access --- see curator.)
Note: "Reference to offset booklet HH.4.148 was added by CvdL because this boat was built from the same construction plan as other sisterships that were specifically mentioned in it." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. April 24, 2021.)

Drawings

Main drawing Dwg 076-061 (HH.5.05521) Explore all drawings relating to this boat.

List of drawings:
   Drawings believed to have been first drawn for, or being first referenced to
   HMCo #639s Cara Mia are listed in bold.
   Click on Dwg number for preview, on HH number to see at M.I.T. Museum.
  1. Dwg 112-054 (HH.5.09346); Deck Capstan for Backstays and Jib Topsail Sheets (1899-12-26)
  2. Dwg 079-087 (HH.5.05896); Chainplates for # 560 to 567 (1901-09-18)
  3. Dwg 084-022 (HH.5.06470); Skylight for # 560 Class (1901-10-04)
  4. Dwg 092-054 (HH.5.07523); Side Step for 30' W.L. Class (1901-10-09)
  5. Dwg 093-040 (HH.5.07645): Cabin Table # 560 Class (1901-10-10)
  6. Dwg 095-046 (HH.5.07849); Mahogany Deck-House (1903-04-20)
  7. Dwg 093-048 (HH.5.07653); Cabin Table of Mahogany (1903-06-01)
  8. Dwg 110-026 (HH.5.08991); Travel[l]ers for Small Sail Boats (1903-12-09)
  9. Dwg 064-066 (HH.5.04542): Detail of Rudder and Stock (1904-02-01)
  10. Dwg 110-021 (HH.5.08986); Details Bowsprit Fittings (1904-03-03)
  11. Dwg 029-000 [029-F] (HH.5.02172); General Arrangement > Design for 26' Rating One Design Class, 40'-8" O.A., 30' W.L., 8'-8" Beam, 6' Draft (1904-10-07)
  12. Dwg 029-024 (HH.5.02120); General Arrangement > One Design Class 27' Rating, 43'-6" Overall, 30' W.L., 8'-10" Beam, 6'-3" Draft (1904-11-14)
  13. Dwg 130-095 (HH.5.10400); Sails > 626 Class NYYC. (1904-11-25)
  14. Dwg 025-030 (HH.5.01779); Construction List for # 626 Class (1904-11-29)
  15. Dwg 081-037 (HH.5.06125); Spars for # 626 and Class (1904-12-02)
  16. Dwg 111-063 (HH.5.09254); Bulkheads, Toilet Room and Galley (1904-12-03)
  17. Dwg 127-164 (HH.5.10032); Sails > Sails N.Y.Y.C. 27' Class (1904-12-04)
  18. Dwg 049-056 (HH.5.03732); Bilge Pump for # 626 Class (1904-12-08)
  19. Dwg 110-032 (HH.5.08997); Turnbuckles for # 626 Class (1904-12-12)
  20. Dwg 111-064 (HH.5.09255); Cabin Plan # 626 Class (1904-12-12)
  21. Dwg 068-065 (HH.5.04871); Compass Arrangement # 626 Class (1904-12-16)
  22. Dwg 076-061 (HH.5.05521); General Arrangement > 626 Class NYYC 27' Racing Length, 48'-6" O.A., 30'-0" W.L., 8'-9" Beam, 6'-3 1/2" Draft (1904-12-17)
  23. Dwg 091-099 [010-061] (HH.5.07373); Block and Metal List for # 626 Class, Casting List (1904-12-20)
  24. Dwg 064-072 (HH.5.04548); Rudder and Details # 626 Class (1904-12-22)
  25. Dwg 110-033 (HH.5.08998); Details for # 626 Class (1904-12-24)
  26. Dwg 035-033 (HH.5.02592); Chart of New York Yacht Club 30-Footers as Stored in Relation to Launching Ways (1905-03-27)
  27. Dwg 143-001 (HH.5.11864); Docking Plan for NYYC 27' Racing Length Class (1905-04-29)
  28. Dwg 092-064 (HH.5.07532); Hinges for Folding Berths (1905-05-09)
  29. Dwg 112-069 (HH.5.09363); Mainsheet Capstan for 1 1/2" and 1 3/4" Rope Used on 30 Footers N.Y.Y. Club (1905-12-05)
  30. Dwg 110-048 (HH.5.09013); Details of Changed Rig for # 626 Class (1905-12-11)
  31. Dwg 127-165 (HH.5.10033); Sails > Adios 626 Class Trysail (1916 ?)
  32. Dwg 128-056 (HH.5.10175); Sails > Cruising Sails for Nautilus NYYC 30 Footer (1917-03-09)
  33. Dwg 096-144 (HH.5.08096); Sails > Sail Plan for 626 Class (1923-06-06)
  34. Dwg 130-095 (HH.5.10401); Sails > 626 Class NYYC. (1925-12-31)
  35. Dwg 132-000 (HH.5.10777); General Arrangement > NYYC 30 ft. W.L. Class (1938-03-21)
Source: Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections, MIT Museum, Cambridge, Mass. Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection. Together with: Hasselbalch, Kurt with Frances Overcash and Angela Reddin. Guide to The Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection. Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections, MIT Museum, Cambridge, Mass., 1997. Together with: Numerous additions and corrections by Claas van der Linde.
Note: The Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection is copyrighted by the Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections of the MIT Museum in Cambridge, Mass. Permission to incorporate information from it in the Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonné is gratefully acknowledged. The use of this information is permitted solely for research purposes. No part of it is to be published in any form whatsoever.

Documents

Nathanael G. Herreshoff

"[1905-02-25] Sat 25: Took #636 [Linnet] to cove in AM and turned over no 639 [Cara Mia] in PM.
[1905-03-09] Thu 9: Took #639 [Cara Mia] to cove lot and turned over #642 [Nautilus].
[1905-05-04] Thu 4 [No entry. Launched #639s Cara-Mia as per drawing 35-33.]" (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. Diary, 1905. Manuscript (excerpts). Diary access courtesy of Halsey C. Herreshoff.)

"Herreshoff Manufacturing Company
Bristol, R.I. October 8, 1904
Mr. N. D. Lawton
40 Wall Street, New York
My dear Mr. Lawton,
I have studied over your proposition for a restricted or one design class, and keeping well in mind your P. 1, I have worked out what seems to me the largest desirable boat to be easily handled with one paid hand. The w.l. and rating are larger than you have specified, but I think not too large to make a good wholesome boat. The w.l. of 30' is sufficient to make her come within the limits of the New York Yacht Club [for representation in the club]. The items of size are as follows. Length o.a. 40ft 8in. Length of w.l. 30ft. Mean length of quarter beam 28ft 5in. Approx. displacement 245 cu.ft. and with sail area 1000 sq.ft. rating w'ld be 26ft.
Mimosa III [#610s] has rating of about 28' and sail area of over 1100 sqft. also[?] obtain a boat of not more than 25 rating and keep her in good proposition the w.l. should be about 28 1/2 and sail 925.
I believe the larger boat as above would be more satisfactory. The inclosed b[lue] p[rint] [plan 'Design for 26' rating one design class, 40ft-8in o.a., 30ft w.l., 8ft-8in beam, 6' draft', M.I.T. no. HH.5.02172, dated October 7, 1904] will give you idea of room.
If this proposition is carried through, I would like very much to design the boats, and have them built at our shops, and if you can let me know which size seems most satisfactory and in what manner they would be built --- if single or double planked and if of yellow pine of mahogany, also about finish inside, if about like Bobtail [#579s] or more complete as like the Buzzards Bay Class --- we would be pleased to give you bids.
I understand there is a movement on foot to to[sic] modify the N.Y.Y. Club measurement rules and bring the rules of other clubs to be uniform with it. The plan is an excellent one and I hope will be carried though, but I hope the modifications will be well considered before being adapted, as I think they are not quite correct.
Yours sincerely,
Nath'l G. Herreshoff." (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. [Letter to N. D. Lawton.] New York Yacht Club Archive. October 8, 1904.)

"Bristol, R.I.
October 11, 1904
N. D. Lawton, Esq.
40 Wall St, New York
Dear Mr. Lawton,
Yours of yesterday is at hand, and I have discussed the building of a class of boats with my brother and he has written you, which I inclose with this.
Double planking, in my mind is the best, that is double to below the turn of the builge[sic]. On the flat of the floor single planking seems to be just as good. As the boats are a size the younger generation would cruise in a good deal it appeared to us best to have them rather completely fitted inside to make them comfortable cruisers, and in as nice shape as the Buzzards Bay Class. Of course in racing together they will be on even footing but with boats rigged for light weather they would be at a disadvantage when the winds are light.
Regarding racing rules I think it of great importance to have a limit of sail area in proportion to the principle[sic] hull factor. --- A rig that is most suitable for cruising along our coast in summer weather and not for racing in any particular location where the winds are light. If all boats were so restricted how much better racing would be! I think the riggs[sic] should be about like the [New York] 70s, Altair [#539s] and the Mimosa III [#610s], larger than the imported cutters, but less than the present limit in the NYYC rule. I would make it at 1.25L = sqrt(S) for vessels carrying topsails and 1.15L or possibly 1.12L = sqrt(S) in the smaller craft that are rigged without topsails.
This part[?] formula applied the [sic, i.e. to] the design now in consideration, it about 1050 [sqft] using 1.15 and 1000 using 1.12.
Very sincerely yours,
Nath'l G. Herreshoff. (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. [Letter to N. D. Lawton.] New York Yacht Club Archive. October 11, 1904.)

"Bristol, R.I.
Oct. 12th 1904
Dear Butler
... About the onedesign. I know the beam is not large, but it was my intention to give the boats a good strong construction and beside a good lot of ballast, and get easy lines by having a liberal waterline length. A type more like Ingomar [#590s], that would stand up well in a breeze and yet move easily in light weather. They would not sail on their ear but have stability and good controll[sic], so you might sail her home in a three reef breeze without bothering to tie down.
I agree with you about the cockpit, an open low down one would be pleasanter for me, but there is no doubt but what the high one is the safer, and I take it they will be used more by the younger generation, who will of course cruise in them a good deal, and for their use the high cockpit is best. However I see no reason why part of the boats could have high and part low cockpits, and draw in to lots. If the class materializes I would like very much to design them and feel that I could get a satisfactory boat. I am not sure if I have been suggesting too large a boat or not, if I am please let me know, and keep me posted any way.
Yours sincerely
Nath'l G. Herreshoff ... " (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. [Letter to Butler Duncan.] New York Yacht Club Archive. October 12, 1904.)

"Bristol, R.I.
Oct 19, 1904
My dear Mr. Lawton,
Referring to yours of 14th I think it would be best for you to determine just about what size and type of boats you want and the manner in which they are to be built, and then we would like to bid on the job. I know no reason why we cannot do a good class of work as cheaply as anyone who makes a living profit from it. As to cheaper work, or only partly finishing the boats, leaving it for someone else to furnish and complete I think we would not care to undertake it.
Yours sincerely,
Nath'l G. Herreshoff." (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. [Letter to N. D. Lawton.] New York Yacht Club Archive. October 19, 1904.)

"Bristol, R.I.
Oct 19 1904
Dear Butler,
The head room under cabin top would be about 5ft 2in. I think under skylight of ordinary proportions not over 6in more.
To get standing room under skylights the house and skylight would have to be rather high for good looks.
Although looking clumsy, I think that is a matter of fashion rather than good taste. Please understand I have not been cutting off the ends, but lengthing[sic] the water line to get the surface a little more vertical and freer[?] from thumps from the sea. It may not add anything to the speed and costs nothing at all in the N.Y.Y.C. measurement rule, but will add a great deal to the seagoing qualities and to my eye makes a much better looking boat, and I believe most everyone will look at it that way after a fair trial under our rules.
I would not expect these boats to sail with the Alert [#581s], as Alert has a much larger rig and will sail away in light weather. In fresh breezes I think they should come with there time allowance. Under NYYC rules Alert would measure about 30ft racing length to about 26 for the proposed ones.
Yours sincerely
Nath'l G. Herreshoff" (Source: Herreshoff, Nathanael G. [Letter to Butler Duncan.] New York Yacht Club Archive. October 19, 1904.)

"... N.Y.Y.C. 30 [Name], 626+ [Building Number], 26.4 [Rating], 30 [Waterline], 29 [L = length at 1/4 beam as for Universal Rule], 8.7 [B = breadth of waterline as for Universal Rule], 6.29 [d = draft of water as for Universal Rule], 276 [D = displacement in cubic foot as for Universal Rule (= 17,632 lbs or 7.9 long tons)], 1085 [Sail Area], 1530 [Sail limit Present rule], -445 [Diff.], 1132 [Sail limit Proposed rule], 47 [Diff.], quite able [Notes] ..." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. "Formula for Obtaining the Limit of Sail-Area in Yachts when Measured by the Universal Rule Formula." Bristol, R.I., July 13, 1907 with later additions. Original handwritten (in ink) document with penciled additions. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE06_00080.)

"Coconut Grove, Fla - March 26 1931 {1931/03/26} Dear Francis ... I think the Newport 30s got thru their racing before the N.Y.Y.C 30s were built. I cannot recollect of their sailing togather. My impression is the Newports' might have been a little faster to windward & reaching in moderate to fresh breezes, and possibly in strong winds, for they soon found reefed boats were beaten by those with all sail, even in 2 or 3 reef breezes. ... I have not their dimensions with me, but as well as I can recollect, ... The NYYCs were; as designed, 43' 5" o.a. [over all] 30' w.l. [waterline] 8' 8" beam, 6' 3 1/2" draft. Wgt hull all above lead 5800 lbs. Rig 900. - Equipment & furnishings & c - 1850. Outside lead 9100. Total 17650. = 276 cu. [p2] The Newports had about 1000 sqft sail and the N.Y.Y.Cs 1085. ... Your affect - Father." (Source: Mystic Seaport Museum, L. Francis Herreshoff Collection, Box 17, Folder 7: Letter from N. G. Herreshoff to L. F. Herreshoff.)

"In 1905, thirty-four sailing yachts were built, including the Twenty Rater SONYA, and the New York Yacht Club Class of Thirty Footers (18 boats)." (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. "Some of the Boats I Have Sailed In." Written 1934. In: Pinheiro, Carlton J. (ed.). Recollections and Other Writings by Nathanael G. Herreshoff. Bristol, 1998, p. 70-71.)

L. Francis Herreshoff

"In mentioning the smaller yachts of that time I must not fail to speak of the N.Y.Y.C. thirty-footers which came out in 1905: they were the fourth class of one-design thirty-footers Captain Nat designed, the other classes being the Newport Thirties, 1896; Buzzards Bay Thirties, 1902; Bar Harbor Thirties, 1903. The N.Y.Y.C. Thirties, I believe, were the first one-design class built by any one under the Universal Rule, and they were safe, sane, able craft making comfortable cruisers for their size, and a few of them accompanied the N.Y.Y.C. on its cruises during the next several years. Their principal dimensions were L.O.A., forty-three feet six inches; L.W.L., thirty feet; beam, eight feet ten inches; draft, six feet three inches. They had about one thousand square feet of sail area, and cost $4,000 complete with eighty-eight separate items of equipment, which seems amazingly cheap today, but these Thirties were probably the first boats built with a carefully planned system of quantity production. There were eighteen of them and they were built in what was called the middle shop of the Herreshoff Company, which was a new shop then, and that winter was given over entirely to building these Thirties. There were generally three of them side by side in this production row, the first one upside down over her molds being planked; the next one turned right side up having her deck laid and interior built; while the last one had been set on her lead and was being finished off and painted. After they really got in production these boats shifted along in this production line at the rate of one a week, or in other words one was completed each week and was taken away to the storage yard on a special wide-wheeled low gear hauled by four horses. Of course most all the parts of these boats were prefabricated, and there was a pattern for each plank and other principal parts which were gotten out about eighteen at a time. These Thirties were double planked with cypress inner planking and yellow pine outer planking set in shellac which seems to be a very good combination; while cypress is not often used for inner planking on account of its weight, it is a wonderful wood to resist rot.
When these Thirties were rigged I happened to be working with the rigging gang and remember well that we rigged one in seven minutes, which was done as follows. As the Thirty came down the track in her cradle to be launched we had her mast, with all its rigging attached and stopped down, hanging from a derrick right over where she would be as she floated off the cradle. Her boom, sheets, and other parts were on a scow alongside. When the Thirty moved under the derrick her mast was lowered in place and about six men leaped aboard, each knowing exactly what to do as we had previously rigged several just like her. Every part fitted perfectly, and after the pins of the turnbuckles were in place we rove off her sheets and halyards as if we were setting a spinnaker in a race. Those were the days when men knew how to do things and did them.
The New York Yacht Club Thirties had a remarkable queue of owners, many of whom had had much larger yachts. ...
It would be hard to get together at any time a class of better sailor men and they raced the Thirties very hard and had few protests. Soon after they came out it was found that it never paid to reef in a race, and the Thirties were certainly great sail luggers; they often carried full sail in winds of forty-five miles per hour.
This class is said to have raced more than any other. As they raced very actively the first ten years and fairly regularly the first thirty years, this statement is probably true. They are now forty-five years old and appear structurally sound with the topsides nearly as smooth as when new. These boats no doubt have given more fun for the money than any boats ever built for their annual expense has been small as they have required almost no repairs or alterations.
The Thirties were almost exactly alike when new and it was told that the one that came in last at the end of the first year came in at the head of the class some subsequent year. Many different ones have won the season's championship in their turn. Many one-design classes have come and gone since the New York Yacht Club Thirties were built, but none of them has begun to hold its popularity over as great a term of years. These New York Thirties are a monument to Captain Nat's genius in construction, and it is very likely that if any of their parts had been either larger or smaller, or of different material, they would not have stood so many years of hard driving." (Source: Herreshoff, L. Francis. The Wizard of Bristol. The Life and Achievements of Nathanael Greene Herreshoff, together with An Account of Some of the Yachts he Designed. New York, 1953, p. 272-274.)

"The first one-design class built under the rule was the New York Yacht Club's Thirties. The Thirty is what they were rated, not their waterline length. Their general dimensions were LOA 43'6"; LWL about 29'; beam 8'10"; draft 6'3". Some people, and Lloyds Register, have thought these boats were 30' WL, but that is not so. They were called 30-footers because their rating was 30'. They cost $4,000.00, and I assume that several of them sold for higher figures during their long life. One of the reasons the Thirties were so cheap was that there were eighteen of them built at once. They were built in a carefully planned system of quantity production with four of them in the production line. After production settled down these boats took one month to produce, and were turned out at the rate of one a week. They even had a pattern for each plank, and, as the Herreshoff Company made all of the hardware and sails, there was no holdup in waiting for parts made by others. The builders also had the advantage of having built five or six other one-design classes. Although the Thirties were built cheaply they must have been built well for it is said some of them raced more races than any type of boat ever built, and I am told some of them are quite sound now at the age of fifty-seven years. They have probably given more pleasure and sport for the money than any yachts.
It was found in their first year of racing that it never paid to reef in a race, and these little ships carried whole sail in heavy squalls and raced during storms. The Thirties went on many New York Yacht Club runs in their early years. They were very small vessels compared to the fleets before 1917. They were very much alike in dimension and speed, perhaps more so than any class ever built, and if I remember a-right after all these years, one of the best helmsmen on the Sound bought the one which came in last in their first year's racing and brought her in first at the end of the next year. This is not so strange for, although few people seem to realize it, slight variation in size and shape have much less influence on the speed of a vessel than such things as the condition of the yacht and her sails, while helmsmanship and tactics used in the race are of much greater importance. Thus in one-design classes the same few yachts win day after day with tiresome monotony, and the indifferent or second-class sailors should never compete in one-design classes but should always race in open classes where occasionally they have a chance to win if they have a yacht that is either generally superior or a one-weather boat that has an advantage under certain conditions." (Source: Herreshoff, L. Francis. An Introduction to Yachting. New York, 1963, p. 165.)

Other Herreshoff Family

"Herreshoff Manufacturing Company
Bristol, R.I.
Oct. 11, 1904
Mr. N. D. Lawton, Esq.
40 Wall St,
New York, N.Y.
Dear Sir:-
Referring to the correspondence with our Mr. N. G. Herreshoff and blue print submitted you, we would be pleased to design and build for you and your associates, eight or more fast cruising sloop yachts, each having the following general dimensions:-
Length over all 40ft 8in.
Length on water line 30ft.
Beam 8ft 8in.
Draft 6ft.
To be constructed throughout in the very best manner and of the best materials of their respective kinds. The outboard planking to be double. Main deck to be left bright or covered with canvass as may be preferred.
Deck house to be of mahogany. Inside finish to be in white with mahogany trimmings.
To have water closet, basin, stove, cushions, mattresses, pillows, bed clothing and a moderate quantity of dishes.
Yacht to be rigged complete, having hollow mast, gaff and boom. Each yacht to have a Mainsail, # 1 Jib, # 2 Jib, Balloon Jib and Spinnaker.
All painting and varnishing to be done in the most thorough manner. Bottom to have the Herreshoff Anti-Fouling paint. To be painted white above water line and to have a gilt name on stern. The boats to be steered by a tiller. Each boat to have one anchor with suitable cable, deck lines, 2 fenders and 4 life preservers. Also running and anchor lights and spirit compass with light.
If ordered soon we can build a lot of eight boats for the sum of Thirty-five Thousand Two Hundred ($35,200.00) dollars. First payment to be Eighty-eight Hundred ($8800.00) dollars, payable upon the signing of the contract. Second payment to be Eighty-eight Hundred ($8800.00) dollars, payable when the first four boats are completed. Third payment to be Eighty-eight Hundred ($8800.00) dollars, payable when the second four boats are completed. The fourth and final payment to be Eleven Hundred ($1100.00) dollars on each boat, when it is delivered alongside of our dock at Bristol, R. I.
Yours respectfully,
Herreshoff Mfg CO.
John B. Herreshoff. Prest.
[Signed for JBH:] N.B.S. [Newell B. Sheldon].
[With hand-scribbled calculation in lower left corner: 8 / $35200.00 - $4400.00.]" (Source: Herreshoff, John B. [Letter to N. D. Lawton.] New York Yacht Club Archive. October 11, 1904.)

Other Contemporary Text Source(s)

"Bristol, R. I., Nov. 5. 1904. ... The Herreshoffs are preparing to build new boats in the 30-foot classes." (Source: Anon. "X.P.D.N.C. Is A Flyer." Boston Herald, November 6, 1904, p. ?.)

"[License issued to vessel under 20 tons. Pos. 44:]
Cara Mia, sloop yacht, of Bristol.
Built at Bristol, 1905.
8 tons; 34 ft. x 9 ft. x 5.3 ft. [Register length x breadth x depth.]
No specifications shown.
Lic[ensed] ([as] yacht) May 3, 1905. Owner: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company of Bristol. Master: N. G. Herreshoff, Bristol.
Surrendered [license] May 23, 1905 at New York. ([Record at:] C[ustom] H[ouse, Providence])." (Source: Survey of Federal Archives, Work Projects Administration. Ships Documents of Rhode Island. Bristol. Ship Registers and Enrollments of the Port of Bristol - Warren Rhode Island, 1941, s.v. Cara Mia.)

"The New York Yacht Club held its regular meeting at its clubhouse last evening, and ... it was ... stated that a number of the thirty-footers had been sold, among them Cara Mia. Stuyvesant Wainwright is to build a raceabout. ..." (Source: Anon. "New York Yacht Club Meeting Adjourns Without Word of Cup Race." New York Times, October 5, 1906, p. 10.)

"... The roster of the yachts which will race this year, as compiled by Frank Bowne Jones, Vice President of the association [Yacht Racing Association of Long Island Sound], is headed by six of the New York Yacht Club fifty-footers, all of which were in seclusion last year, and from these all the way down through the list come classes which have provided able competition in these events in the past.
The list of the boats by classes, with sailing number and owner's name, follows : ... New York 30-Footers, D. R. Richardson, Secretary --- 1, Alera [#626s], F. W. Belknap; 2, Silhouette [ex Ibis #627s], R. H. Amberg; 4, Houqua [ex Maid of Meudon #629s], W. G. Low Jr.; 5, Lena [ex Pintail #630s], O. Reid; 7, Alice [ex Tabasco #632s], G. Davis; 9, Amorita [ex Adelaide II #635s], F. B. Bragdon; 11, Oriole [#637s], S. C. Pirie; 12, Rowdy [ex Neola ll #638s], H. L. Curry; 13, Minx [#648s], W. H. Hoffman; 15, Banzai [#640s], E. Lang; 16, Nautilus [#642s], M. E. Hatfield; 18, Adois [sic, i.e. Adios ex Anemone II #647s], F. L. Richards; 19, Mizpah [ex Cara Mia #639s], D. R. Richardson. ...[Note that Mizpah ex Cary Mia #639s usually carried the sail number 14. The existence of a sail number 19, however, is confirmed by the existence of a Levick photo showing #626s Alera and another NY30 with a 19 in her sail.]" (Source: Anon. "N. Y. Fifty-Footers Head Yachting Roster." New York Times, May 24, 1921, p. 23.)

"The yacht brokerage firm of R. M. Haddock & Co. reports the sale of four racing yachts. The largest of the boats that changed hands was the New York Yacht Club thirty-looter Fiji II., which was sold by L. T. Warner of the New York Yacht Club to W. D. Flanders of Philadelphia. Mr. Flanders will use the yacht for cruising on Buzzard's Bay during the remainder of the Summer, but next year will race with the thirty-foot class on the Sound. ..." (Source: Anon. "Four Yachts Are Sold. Largest Is N. Y. Y. C. 30-Footer Fiji II, Bought By Philadelphian." New York Times, August 3, 1924, p. 29.)

"HAVING passed through their twentieth racing season, it may be said that the New York Yacht Club Thirty-footers offer the finest example in American racing annals of what it means to have a good class hold together. Leaving the building ways at the famed Herreshoff yards at Bristol in the spring of 1905, eighteen of these fine racing sloops took a lively part in the sport of that season. Now, a score of years later, we find that sixteen of the 'Thirties' were in commission during the past season and that many of them took part in the racing and cruising throughout the season on Long Island Sound. Considering the age of the class, this is truly a remarkable showing. ...
In gathering data for a record of this truly remarkable yacht racing class the writer received valuable assistance from W. P. Stephens, recorder of the Yacht Racing Association of Long Island Sound, and Harry L. Maxwell. The following complete list of the Thirties and their many owners was compiled from the records of Mr. Stephens: ...
14 Cara Mia. Built for Stuyvesant Wainwright. 1907, Mrs. E. M. Scott (Carmelita, 1909) --- 1910, F. T. Catlin --- 1917, D. R. Richardson (Mispah) --- 1922, Lucien T. Warner (Fiji II) --- 1924. Wm. D. Flanders. ..." (Source: Lawrence, Seabury. "The New York Thirties. An Interesting Sketch of America's Most Famous One-Design Class." Yachting, January 1925, p. 28-30.)

"The following is a complete list of the Thirties, with record of their various changes of names and of owners: ...
14. Cara Mia. Built for Stuyvesant Wainwright. 1907, Mrs. E. M. Scott (Carmelita, 1909) --- 1910, F. T. Catlin --- 1917, D. R. Richardson (Mizpah) --- 1911, Lucien T. Warner (Fiji II) --- 1924, Wm. D. Flanders. 1927, W. C. Atwater, Jr. 1927, name of yacht (Fiji II). ..." (Source: Schoettle, Edwin J. "The New York Thirties." In: Sailing Craft, New York, 1928, p. 579-588.)

"[Note: #639s Cara Mia was not listed as a member of the Yacht Racing Association of Long Island Sound in 1928.]" (Source: Anon. "Racing Numbers Long Island Sound Yacht Racing Association." Rudder, August 1928, p. 102.)

"Larchmont, N. Y., Aug. 28 [1932] --- There was breeze aplenty today for the Larchmont Yacht Club's last special regatta of the season. One racing boat was sunk, another was dismasted, and spars and halyards let go in profusion. ... H. A. Calahan's 30-footer Old Timer was dismasted soon after. Minor crack-ups followed in rapid succession.
The wind, west by south, did not appear to be strenuous, but it came out of a spotted sky that looked like a field of cotton, and there was strength in it. First it came at 18 knots, then dropped to 10, and finally rose again to 18. ..." (Source: Robbins, James. "Old-Timer, a 30-Footer Dismasted." New York Times, August 29, 1932, p. 17.)

"At a meeting yesterday of the owners of the 30-foot sloops, popularly known as the New York Yacht Club Thirties, it was ascertained that five of them will be out for racing this Summer. Only four raced last year in the regular regattas. The increase is in line with the last-minute commissioning of many racing craft this Spring.
The quintet named are G. N. W. McNaughton's Nachtan [ex Atair #628], W. A. W. Stewart Jr.'s Phantom [ex Minx #648s], H. A. Calahan's Old Timer [ex Cara Mia #639s], the Interlude [#629s Maid of Meudon], which has been purchased by C. F. Smithers, and the Mermaid [ex Carlita #633s], purchased by F. W. Woodworth and renamed Variant.
In addition three others may race, including S. C. Pirie's Oriole [#637s], champion of the class last year; the Alera [#626s], owned by E. H. Leslie, and the Minx [ex Neola ll #638s], owned by Ward Meyer.
Gherardi Davis again was reelected chairman of the 30-foot class. Mr. Pirie was elected secretary and Mr. Calahan treasurer." (Source: Robbins, James. "Five 30-Foot Sloops To Compete Regularly. Increase In 30-Foot Class." New York Times, April 19, 1933, p. 20.)

Other Modern Text Source(s)

"... John H. Wells announces the following sales: ...; the New York '30' Cara Mia from R. L. Stephenson to W. Gibson; ..." (Source: Anon. [No title?] Yachting, June 1944, p. 119.)

"... Some [owners] liked the Thirties so well they came back into the class after dropping out. ... Johnston deForest owned Nos. 7 [#632s Tabasco] and 13 [#648s Minx] at different periods, Ralph N. Ellis Nos. 12 [#638s Neola ll] and 18 [#647s Anemone II], W. C. Atwater, Nos. 12 [#638s Neola ll] and 14 [#639s Cara Mia]. ...
To attempt a complete history of these amazing old yachts would be a prohibitive and probably a thankless undertaking. But here are a few details from their life stories: ...
No. 14. Stuyvesant Wainwright's Cara Mia the first year, she figured in several yachting books and articles as H. A. Calahan's Old Timer in the late '30s and now, under the latter name, is owned by John P. Ohl of Port Washington, L.I. ..." (Source: Taylor, William H. "The Thirties Are Fifty. A Salute To The First Class Of One-Design Racing Yachts To Reach The Half Century Mark." Yachting Magazine, March 1955, p. 55-57, 120-122.)

"... Cara Mia, #14, was probably the most well known of the Thirties during this period because of her presence in the popular sailing books written by H.A. Calahan of Mamaroneck, her long time owner. He celebrates the boat in each of them, and the evolution of the boat from its original gaff rig to an effective marconi sloop is well traced. He maintained the boat very well, as he was also a manufacturer of innovative marine products. After his death the boat went to John Ohl of Sands Point, who donated it in 1964 to the Sea Scouts. Bill Yaro bought her next, for $3,000, and took her to Greenport where some rebuilding was done in the early seventies. After a hitch in the Navy and another in law school, Yaro sold her to me in 1978, for $4,000. She was still in quite good condition, complete with her varnished coachroof, but needed extensive retimbering, which we had started to do in the Fall of that year, when Ted Okie and Bill Hubbard, looking for a swift older boat to restore and compete in NYYC regattas (the attempt to install the NY36, a half tonner, as a club boat had not gone well at all), happened upon her. Paul Stubing in Mystic did the restoration in 1979-80, and in the next few years, with a 70' marconi sloop rig, the boat did exceptionally well, particularly in light airs. Hubbard then bought out his partner, converted to a yawl rig, and eventually sold her to Alfred Slanetz, who completed a second, and complete, restoration in 2001. ..." (Source: Kiremidjian, David. "The Thirties Are Twice Fifty." Typescript, n. p., 2004, p. 6.)

"At Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway in Vineyard Haven. Massachusetts, ... CARA MIA, a Nathanael Greene Herreshoff-designed New York 30 launched in 1905, came into the yard for deckhouse work, but once the deck structures and fittings came off, distortion in the deck camber raised suspicions of underlying problems. The decision was made to deal with the deck and its underlying structure to restore the camber to original specifications. With the laid Douglas-fir deck removed, along with sheerstrakes made up of short lengths of white oak, deterioration was revealed. The project was expanded to replace the transom and its lodging knees, the fore keel, the stem, and the breasthook. The mast partners were also re-engineered, with two added bronze knees strengthening an earlier chain-plate alteration. After the underlying structure was dealt with, sheerstrakes consisting of long planks of angelique went in, to be followed by a canvas-covered laid deck. The handsome deckhouse, meanwhile, was being rebuilt. A late-spring launching is planned. ..." (Source: Anon. "Currents." WoodenBoat, no. 243, March / April 2015, p. 11.)

Maynard Bray

"By the time the eighteen New York 30s were ordered by New York Yacht Club members in the fall of 1904, the Herreshoff Mfg. Co. was well equipped to build them, having already delivered about a dozen each of the somewhat similar Buzzards Bay 30s and the Bar Harbor 31s. Still, it seems remarkable that all eighteen New York 30s could be built in such a short time and on such short notice. The first boat, in fact, was tried out only six weeks after the contract was executed, and all eighteen were ready in time for their first race at the end of May 1905.
The popularity and longevity of the New York 30s is astonishing. Naturally, racing was most active before World War I, when the boats were still quite new and were similarly rigged. Fifty-one races, for example, were held in the first season. However, the class was still active in 1930, its twenty-fifth year, and many were still racing when their Golden Jubilee was celebrated in 1955.
When WoodenBoat magazine honored the New York 30s on the occasion of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the class (1980), some two-thirds of the fleet ... could still be accounted for! It is a record unsurpassed, and substantiates why the New York 30s are considered by many to be the all-time favorite of the racer/cruiser one-designs.
Created under the aegis of the Universal Rule that calls for measuring waterline length at some distance (one-fourth of the boat's beam) out from the centerline, the New York 30s were leaner lined than their predecessors, especially forward. This made them more seakindly (the hulls pounded less when sailing to windward) and generally more desirable. For eighty-five years now, New York 30s have been raced and sailed in all kinds of weather, and, with their original gaff-sloop rigs, enjoyed a reputation for never having to be reefed, no matter how hard it blew. In her seventy-third year, Cockatoo II (New York 30 #5, ex-Pintail), was daringly sailed --- singlehanded, in fact, by her owner Lloyd Bergeson --- across the Atlantic to Norway. Had Cockatoo II not had the bad luck to fall off a wave and take a fatal blow to her hull on the return trip, she'd still be with us.
NGH was right when, after completion of the New York 30 half model in the fall of 1904, he wrote, 'I am well pleased with it. It has been more pleasure to work on, as I have not had the restraint of getting the biggest boat possible for the waterline length.... They have a good lot of ballast and, I believe, will be mighty good boats.' " (Source: Bray, Maynard and Carlton Pinheiro. Herreshoff of Bristol. Brooklin, Maine, 1989, p. 77.)

Archival Documents

"N/A"

"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections with pinpricks and displacement curves titled 'N.Y.Y.C. 30ft w.l. class. Nos. 625 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 30 - 1 - 2 [sic, i.e. #626s, #627s, #628s, #629s, #630s, #631s, #632s, #633s and eventually also #635s, #636s, #637s, #638s, #639s, #640s, #642s, #643s, #647s and #648s] Nov[ember 20, 1904'. With calculations relating to rating and quarter beam length, sail area ('S = 1105[sqft] = limit for S with 27 rating'), displacement total (275 1/2cuft = 17650lbs, displacement variations (325.4[cuft = 20825lbs] at 3in deep or 31.55[ft] w.l. and 229.8[cuft = 14707lbs] at 3in light or 28.40[ft] w.l.) , and wetted surface (309sqft). On verso (with 'Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Established 1861. Incorporated 1879' letterhead) another set of (probably earlier) penciled hull sections with calculations arriving at a total of 286cuft = 18300lbs." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_01820. Folder [no #]. 1904-11-20.)


"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph lead sections titled '626 Class 30ft. [New York 30 class: #626s, #627s, #628s, #629s, #630s, #631s, #632s, #633s and eventually also #635s, #636s, #637s, #638s, #639s, #640s, #642s, #643s, #647s and #648s]. Scale 1/4 & 1/6. Nov[ember] 27, 94[sic, i.e. 1904]'. With calculations and note 'Required 9100lbs with c.g. at .573 of w.l.' and concluding with note 'Final result ... = 9130lbs with c.g. .573 of w.l.'. Calculations show three trials to arrive at final result." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Lead Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_08030. Folder [no #]. 1904-11-27.)


"[Item Description:] Printed list titled 'List of Equipment. New York Yacht Club One Design Thirty Foot Class Built By Herreshoff Manufacturing Company' [NY-30 Class: #626s ALERA, #627s IBIS, #628s ATAIR, #629s MAID OF MEUDON, #630s PINTAIL, #631s DAHINDA, #632s TABASCO, #633s CARLITA, #635s ADELAIDE II, #636s LINNET, #637s ORIOLE, #638s NEOLA II, #639s CARA MIA, #640s BANZAI, #642s NAUTILUS, #643s PHRYNE, #647s ANEMONE, #648s MINX]." (Source: MIT Museum, Hart Nautical Collections, Haffenreffer-Herreshoff Collection Item HH.6.072. Equipment List. Box HAFH.6.2B, Folder One Design 30 Foot. No date (1905 or later).)


"N/A"

"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections and calculations titled 'N.Y.Y.C. 30ft [#626s, #627s, #628s, #629s, #630s, #631s, #632s, #633s, #635s, #636s, #637s, #638s, #639s, #640s, #642s, #643s, #647s, #648s]. Measured June 22 [1908] for measurements sent by [N.Y.Y.C. measurer] W[illiam] Hallock of 'DAHINDA' [#631s] June 17 vis. o.a. 43.5 / 1[?]7.03 / 96.10 / wl. 30.37'. No year, but June 17, 1908 Hallock date is confirmed by an entry NGH made in his NY30 design notebook." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Acc. 2004.0001.0395. WRDT04, Folder 34, formerly MRDE08. 1908-06-22.)


"[Item Description:] Handwritten (in ink) rating rule-related table on two pages with dimensions LOA, LWL, overhang fore & aft, mean length, freeboard fore & center & aft, breadth deck & w.l., draft, cube-root (displacement), 1st mast mean length, 1st to 2nd mast, J, P1, H1, B1, G1, V1, T1, P2, P2a, H2, B2, Q2, Y2,T2, sail area, sqrt(SA), sqrt(SA - NYYC Rule) for #605s RELIANCE, #499s COLUMBIA, #725s RESOLUTE, #529s MINEOLA, #663s ISTALENA, #666s AVENGER, New York 50s (#711s, #712s, #713s, #714s, #715s, #716s, #717s, #720s, #721s), #411s GLORIANA, #685s ADVENTURESS, #617s COCK ROBIN II, #586s NELLIE, #709s JOYANT, #708s CORINTHIAN, #670s SENECA, Bar Harbor 31s (#592s, #593s, #594s, #595s, #596s, #597s, #598s, #599s, #600s, #601s, #602s, #603s, #604s), New York 30s (#626s, #627s, #628s, #629s, #630s, #631s, #632s, #633s, #635s, #636s, #637s, #638s, #639s, #640s, #642s, #643s, #647s, #648s), Newport 29s (#727s, #728s, #737s), #691s MORE JOY, #446s ALERION II, Buzzards Bay 550s (#733s, #734s, #736s, #738s, #741s), #617s COCK ROBIN II, #493s JILT, #732s SADIE, #460s KILDEE, Buzzards Bay 15s (#503s Class), Buzzards Bay 12 1/2s (#744s Class), #703s FLYING CLOUD, #669s ELEANOR, #722s KATOURA, #692s WESTWARD, #657s QUEEN, #719s VAGRANT II, #698s VAGRANT, #663s ISTALENA, and #743s HASWELL. With penciled note 'Measurements in ft & inches. Results in ft & decimals'. Undated (the youngest boat on this list is from 1914/1915 and this was probably prepared in preparation for NGH's sail area rating rule of 1914/1915)." (Source: Herreshoff, N.G. (creator). Handwritten Table. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE15_00100. Folder [no #]. No date (1914 / 1915 ?).)


"[Item Transcription:] Printed pamphlet titled 'Racing Rules. New York Yacht Club. 1924'. Incl. a printed 'List of yachts, the measurements of which are on file with the Race Committee. July, 1924.
Schooners
D 7 FLYING CLOUD
D 10 IROLITA [#663s ex-ISTALENA]
C 5 MARIETTE [#772s ]
E 14 NOMAD
F 22 NORKA
C 2 OHONKARA [#827s ]
D 8 PRINCESS [#658s ex-IROLITA II]
E 9 QUEEN MAB [#698s ex-VAGRANT I]
E 16 SHAWNA
C 12 SONNICA
C 7 VAGRANT [#719s ]
FF 1 WANDERER IX
D 22 WILDFIRE [#891s ]
Fifty Class
N.Y. 52 ANDIAMO [#716s ex-SAMURI]
N.Y. 55 CAROLINA [#716s ]
N.Y. 53 IROQUOIS II [#721s ]
N.Y. 54 MYSTIC [#715s ex-GRAYLING]
N.Y. 56 SPARTAN [#716s ]
Forty Class
N.Y.Y.C. 8 BANSHEE [#782s ex-PAULINE]
N.Y.Y.C. 2 COCKATOO [#775s ex-DOLLY BOWEN]
N.Y.Y.C. 12 IRIS [#777s ex-ZILPH]
N.Y.Y.C. 6 MISTRAL [#782s ]
N.Y.Y.C. 7 PAMPERO [#775s ]
N.Y.Y.C. 9 ROWDY [#777s ]
N.Y.Y.C. 3 SALLY ANN [#779s ex-JESSICA]
N.Y.Y.C. 10 SHAWARA [#782s ]
THIRTY CLASS
N.Y. 18 ADIOS [#647s ex-ANEMONE]
N.Y. 1 ALERA [#647s ]
N.Y. 7 ALICE [#632s ex-TABASCO]
N.Y. 15 BANZAI [#647s ]
N.Y. 8 CAROLITA [#633s ex-CARLITA]
N.Y. 4 COUNTESS [#629s ex-MAID OF MEUDON]
N.Y. 14 FIJI II [#639s ex-CARA MIA]
N.Y. 5 LENA [#630s ex-PINTAIL]
N.Y. 12 MINX [#638s ex-NEOLA II]
N.Y. 11 ORIOLE [#637s ex-ORIOLE]
N.Y. 13 PHANTOM [#648s ex-MINX]
0 Class
L.O. 1 GEORGIA
L.O. 4 GREY DAWN
L.O. 5 MAISIE
L.O. 3 NIMBUS
Various Classes
N 2 ALICE
N.Y. 58 BARBARA [#717s ] (Aux. Sloop)
P 1 BUTTERFLY [#586s ex-NELLIE]
M 15 LADRONE [#634s ex-SUZETTA III] (Aux. Yawl)
N.Y. 51 REVERY [#720s ex-ACUSHLA] (Aux. Yawl)
M 6 VENTURA [#717s ]
K 3 WINSOME [#717s ] (Aux. Ketch)'.
Of 49 yachts listed (including 11 NY30s, 8 NY40s and 5 NY50s plus 2 NY50s and 1 NY70 out of class) 37 or 75% were designed and built by Herreshoff." (Source: New York Yacht Club (creator). Printed Pamphlet. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE08_01830. Folder [no #]. 1924.)


"[Item Description:] Penciled pantograph hull sections with pinpricks and radials titled 'NYYC 30 [#626s, #627s, #628s, #629s, #630s, #631s, #632s, #633s, #635s, #636s, #637s, #638s, #639s, #640s, #642s, #643s, #647s, #648s] for model for N.Y.Y.C. Apr[il] 1958, scale 3/8in = 1ft'. With no further notes or calculations. (NYYC has two New York 30 half-models made by ASdeWH, one from 1905, the other inscribed on its back with 'this model by A. Sidney DeW. Herreshoff. June 1958')." (Source: Herreshoff, A. Sidney deW. (?) (creator). Pantograph Hull Sections. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE04_06570. Folder [no #]. 1958-04.)


Note: This list of archival documents contains in an unedited form any and all which mention #639s Cara Mia even if just in a cursory way. Permission to digitize, transcribe and display is gratefully acknowledged.

Further Reading
  • Perry, Lawrence. "The New York Yacht Club One-Design 30-Footers." Yachting Magazine, February 1908, p. 71-74. (649 kB)
    Document is copyrighted: No. Class appreciation including a good overview of NY30 design precedents, the boats and their races. Photos by James Burton, James Huntington and others.
  • Lawrence, Seabury. "The New York Thirties: An Interesting Sketch of America's Most Famous One-Design Class." Yachting Magazine, January 1925, p. 28-30. (599 kB)
    Document is copyrighted: No. Twentieth anniversary class appreciation.
  • Davis, Gherardi. "A History of the The New York Yacht Club Thirty Foot Class." Manuscript, New York Yacht Club, ca. 1926. (285 kB)
    Document is copyrighted: Yes. The best history of the NY30 class with detailed description of the interchange between N. G. Herreshoff and the New York Yacht Club as the boats were built. Written by then owner of Alice ex #632s Tabasco.
  • Schoettle, Edwin J. "The New York Thirties." In: Schoettle, Edwin J. Sailing Craft, New York, 1928, p. 579-588. (1,734 kB)
    Document is copyrighted: No known copyright restrictions. Class description and history.
  • Taylor, William H. "New York Y. C. Thirty-Foot Class to Celebrate its Silver Jubilee. Twenty-Five Years of Active Racing Mark the 'Thirties' as One of the Best Classes Ever Built." Yachting, May 1929, p. 61-62, 112, 114. (2,169 kB)
    Document is copyrighted: Yes. Tweny-fifth anniversary class appreciation.
  • Slaughter, Sam C. "Class Will Tell. The New York Yacht Club 'Thirties' Celebrate Another Anniversary." Yachting, Vol. 66, November 1939, p. 43-45, 107-108. (2,665 kB)
    Document is copyrighted: Yes. NY30 history and whereabouts summary, written by then owner of #626s Alera on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the class.
  • Taylor, William H. "The Thirties Are Fifty. A Salute to the First Class of One-Design Racing Yachts to Reach the Half Century Mark." Yachting Magazine, March 1955, p. 55-57, 120-122. (749 kB)
    Document is copyrighted: Yes. Fiftieth anniversary class appreciation.
  • Bray, Maynard. "The New York Thirties." Kiremidjian, David. "Then, But Mostly Now Also." Taylor, William H. "At 25, One of the Best Classes Ever Built." (Reprinted excerpts.) Taylor, William H. "A Salute to the First One-Design Yachts to Reach the Half-Century Mark." (Reprinted excerpts.) Davis, Gherardi. "How It All Began: An Extraordinary Chronology." (Reprinted excerpts.) Wooden Boat #35, July/August 1980, p. 20-34. (1,423 kB)
    Document is copyrighted: Yes. New York 30 class portrait written on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the class. Plans, photos, history, partial reprints of older class appreciations.
  • Taylor, Roger C. "Fourth Book of Good Boats." Camden, Maine, 1984, p. 201-207. (717 kB)
    Document is copyrighted: Yes. New York 30 class portrait. History, plans, photos, sailing characteristics with special emphasis on #630s Cockatoo ex-Pintail. Partial reprint of Taylor, Roger C. Recollections under Sail. Wooden Boat #35, July/August 1980, p. 27-29.
  • Kiremidjian, David. "The Thirties Are Twice Fifty." Typescript, n. p., 2004. (118 kB)
    Document is copyrighted: Yes. Copyright holder: David Kiremidjian. New York 30 class portrait with special emphasis on post-WW II vessel histories.
  • Doyle, Bill. "New York 30 Class. 100 Years Young." In: Restoration Quarterly. International Yacht Restoration School: Newport, Fall 2005, p. 6, 8, 11. (213 kB)
    Document is copyrighted: Yes. Short class history, NY30 whereabouts summary.
  • Erwin, Daniel. "The New York 30s. A Century of One-Design Sailing." Wooden Boat #184, May/June 2005, p. 76. (5,324 kB)
    Document is copyrighted: Yes. New York 30 class portrait written on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the class. Detailed vessel-by-vessel biographies.
  • Okie, Jr., William T. "The Restoration of Number 14." Wooden Boat #35, July/August 1980, p. 30-31. (515 kB)
    Document is copyrighted: Yes. Restoration report.

Images

Registers

1905 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#277)
Name: Cara Mia
Owner: Stuyvesant Wainwright; Port: Milton Point, N.Y.
Official no. 201867; Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel] Sloop
Tons Gross 11.00; Tons Net 8.00; Reg. Length 34.0; LOA 43.5; LWL 30.1; Extr. Beam 9.0; Depth 5.3; Draught 6.3
Sailmaker Her. M. Co.; Sails made in [19]05; Sail Area 1080
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1905

1906 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#460)
Name: Cara Mia
Owner: Stuyvesant Wainwright; Port: Milton Point, N.Y.
Official no. 201867; Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Slp
Tons Gross 11; Tons Net 8; LOA 43-6; LWL 30-0; Extr. Beam 8-10; Draught 6-3
Sailmaker H. M. Co.; Sails made in [19]05, [19]06; Sail Area 1080
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1905

1912 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#481)
Name; Former Name(s): Carmelita; Cara Mia
Owner: Fredk T. Catlin; Port: New Haven, Conn.
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Slp
LOA 43-6; LWL 30-0; Extr. Beam 8-10; Draught 6-3
Sailmaker HMCo and R&L [Ratsey&Lapthorn New York]; Sails made in [19]05, [19]06; Sail Area 1103
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1905

1914 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#481)
Name; Former Name(s): Carmelita; Cara Mia
Owner: Frederick T. Catlin; Port: New Haven, Conn.
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Slp
LOA 43-5; LWL 30-0; Extr. Beam 8-10; Draught 6-3
Sailmaker R&L [Ratsey&Lapthorn New York]; Sails made in [19]13; Sail Area 1103
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1905

1917 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#2103)
Name; Former Name(s): Mizpah; Carmelita, Cara Mia
Owner: D. Rait Richardson; Port: New York
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Slp
LOA 43-5; LWL 30-0; Extr. Beam 8-10; Draught 6-3
Sailmaker R&L [Ratsey&Lapthorn New York]; Sails made in [19]15; Sail Area 1103
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1905

1920 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#1989)
Name; Former Name(s): Mizpah; Carmelita, Cara Mia
Owner: D. Rait Richardson; Port: New York
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Slp
LOA 43-6; LWL 30-0; Extr. Beam 8-10; Draught 6-3
Sailmaker R&L [Ratsey&Lapthorn New York]; Sails made in [19]19 - [19]20; Sail Area 1103
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1905

1923 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#983)
Name; Former Name(s): Fiji II; Mizpah, Carmelita, Cara Mia
Owner: Lucien T. Warner; Port: Bridgeport, Conn.
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Slp
LOA 43-5; LWL 30-0; Extr. Beam 8-10; Draught 6-3
Sailmaker R&L [Ratsey&Lapthorn New York]; Sails made in [19]19, [19]20; Sail Area 1103
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1905

1925 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#1060)
Name; Former Name(s): Fiji II; Mizpah, Carmelita, Cara Mia
Owner: Wm. D. Flanders; Port: Philadelphia
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Slp
LOA 43-6; LWL 30-0; Extr. Beam 8-10; Draught 6-3
Sailmaker R&L [Ratsey&Lapthorn New York]; Sails made in [19]19, [19]20; Sail Area 1103
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1905

1930 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#1468)
Name; Former Name(s): Fiji II; Mizpah, Carmelita, Cara Mia
Owner: Cox & Stevens; Port: New York
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Slp
LOA 43-5; LWL 30-0; Extr. Beam 8-10; Draught 6-3
Sailmaker Burrows [South St., New York]; Sails made in [19]26; Sail Area 1103
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1905

1935 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#3541)
Name; Former Name(s): Old Timer; Fei-Seen V, Fiji II, Mizpah, Carmelita, Cara Mia
Owner: Harold A. Calahan; Port: Rye, N.Y.
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Slp
LOA 43-5; LWL 30-0; Extr. Beam 8-10; Draught 6-3
Sailmaker Burrows [South St., New York]; Sails made in [19]34; Sail Area 1103
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1905

1940 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#4579)
Name; Former Name(s): Old Timer; Fei-Seen V, Fiji II, Mizpah, Carmelita, Cara Mia
Owner: Harold A. Calahan; Port: Rye, N.Y.
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Slp
LOA 43-6; LWL 30-0; Extr. Beam 8-10; Draught 6-3
Sailmaker Wilson; Sails made in [19]38; Sail Area 1103
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1905

1947 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#930)
Name; Former Name(s): Cara Mia; Old Timer, Fei-Seen V, Fiji II, Mizpah, Carmelia, Cara Mia
Owner: Walter Campbell Gibson; Port: New York
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Slp
LOA 43-6; LWL 30-0; Extr. Beam 8-10; Draught 6-3
Sailmaker Wilson; Sails made in [19]38; Sail Area 1103
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1905

1950 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#5269)
Name; Former Name(s): Old Timer; Cara Mia, Old Timer, Fei-Seen V, Fiji II, Mizpah, Carmelia, Cara Mia
Owner: John P. Ohl; Port: Port Washington, N.Y.
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Aux Slp
LOA 43-6; LWL 30-0; Extr. Beam 8-10; Draught 6-3
Sailmaker Wilson; Sails made in [19]38; Sail Area 1103
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1905
Engine Gas Eng. 4 Cyc. 4 Cyl. 2 7/8 x 3 1/2. 1948; Maker Gray
Note: Pwr. inst. 1948

1955 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#5269)
Name; Former Name(s): Old Timer; Cara Mia, Old Timer, Fei-Seen V, Fiji II, Mizpah, Carmelia, Cara Mia
Owner: John P. Ohl; Port: Port Washington, N.Y.
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Aux Slp
LOA 43-6; LWL 30-0; Extr. Beam 8-10; Draught 6-3
Sailmaker Larsen; Sails made in [19]52; Sail Area 1038
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1905
Engine Gas Eng. 4 Cyc. 4 Cyl. 2 7/8 x 3 1/2. 1948; Maker Gray
Note: Pwr. inst. 1948

1960 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#5785)
Name; Former Name(s): Old Timer; Cara Mia, Old Timer, Fei-Seen V, Fiji II, Mizpah, Carmelia, Cara Mia
Owner: John P. Ohl; Port: Port Washington, N.Y.
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Aux Slp
LOA 43-6; LWL 30-0; Extr. Beam 8-10; Draught 6-3
Sailmaker Larsen; Sails made in [19]55, [19]57; Sail Area 1038
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1905
Engine Gas Eng. 4 Cyc. 4 Cyl. 2 7/8 x 3 1/2. 1948; Maker Gray
Note: Pwr. inst. 1948

1967 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#6716)
Name; Former Name(s): Old Timer; Cara Mia, Old Timer, Fei-Seen V, Fiji II, Mizpah, Carmelia, Cara Mia
Owner: William Yaro; Port: Southold, N.Y.
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Aux Slp
LOA 43-6; LWL 30-0; Extr. Beam 8-10; Draught 6-3
Sailmaker Larsen; Sails made in [19]55, [19]57; Sail Area 1038
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1905
Engine Gas Eng. 4 Cyc. 4 Cyl. 2 7/8 x 3 1/2. 1948; Maker Gray
Note: Pwr. inst. 1948. Sail no. NY14

1970 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#7001)
Name; Former Name(s): Old Timer; Cara Mia, Old Timer, Fei-Seen V, Fiji II, Mizpah, Carmelia, Cara Mia
Owner: Ens. William M. Yaro, USN; Port: Southold, N.Y.
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig K[eel], TC [Trunk Cabin], Aux Slp
LOA 43-6; LWL 30-0; Extr. Beam 8-10; Draught 6-3
Sailmaker Larsen; Sails made in [19]55, [19]57; Sail Area 710
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1905
Note: Pwr. inst. 1948. Pwr. rem. 1968. Sail no. NY14

1975 Lloyd's Register of American Yachts (#5263)
Name; Former Name(s): Old Timer; Cara Mia, Old Timer, Fei-Seen V, Fiji III, Mizpah, Carmelia, Cara Mia
Owner: William M. Yaro; Port: Southold, N.Y.
Building Material Wood; Type & Rig Slp
LOA 43-6; LWL 30-0; Extr. Beam 8-10; Draught 6-3
Sailmaker Larsen; Sails made in [19]55, [19]57; Sail Area 710
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N. G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol, R.I.; Built when 1905
Note: Aux eng rem[oved] [19]68. Sail no. NY14

2007 WoodenBoat Register
Name: Cara Mia
Owner: Alfred Slanetz; Port: Newport, RI
Type & Rig New York 30, Keel sloop
LOA 43-6; LWL 30-0; Extr. Beam 8-6; Draught 6-0
Builder Herreshoff Mfg. Co.; Designer N.G. Herreshoff; Built where Bristol RI; Built when 1905
Engine Diesel, (1) 37-hp; Maker Yanmar

Source: Various Yacht Lists and Registers. For complete biographical information see the Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonné under Data Sources. Note that this section shows only snapshots in time and should not be considered a provenance, although it can help creating one.

Supplement

From the 1920 and earlier HMCo Index Cards at the MIT Museum
  • Note: The vessel index cards comprise two sets of a total of some 3200 cards about vessels built by HMCo, with dimensions and information regarding drawings, later or former vessel names, and owners. They were compiled from HMCo's early days until 1920 and added to in later decades, apparently by Hart Nautical curator William A. Baker and his successors. While HMCo seems to have used only one set of index cards, all sorted by name and, where no name was available, by number, later users at MIT apparently divided them into two sets of cards, one sorted by vessel name, the other by vessel number and greatly expanded the number of cards. Original HMCo cards are usually lined and almost always punched with a hole at bottom center while later cards usually have no hole, are unlined, and often carry substantially less information. All cards are held by the Francis Russell Hart Nautical Collections of the MIT Museum in Cambridge, Mass.
From the 1931 HMCo-published Owner's List

Name: Cara Mia
Type: J & M
Length: 30'
Owner: Wainwright, S.

Source: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. "A Partial List of Herreshoff Clients." In: Herreshoff Manufacturing Company. Herreshoff Yachts. Bristol, Rhode Island, ca. 1931.

From the 1930s L. Francis Herreshoff Index Cards at the Herreshoff Marine Museum
  • Note: The L. Francis Herreshoff index cards comprise a set of some 1200 cards about vessels built by HMCo, with dimensions and / or ownership information. Apparently compiled in the early 1930s, for later HMCo-built boats like the Fishers Island 23s or the Northeast Harbor 30s are not included. Added to in later decades, apparently by L. F. Herreshoff as well as his long-time secretary Muriel Vaughn and others. Also 46 cards of L. F. Herreshoff-designed vessels. The original set of index cards is held by the Herreshoff Marine Museum and permission to display is gratefully acknowledged.
From the 1953 HMCo Owner's List by L. Francis Herreshoff

Name: Cara Mia
Type: 30' 1" sloop
Owner: Stuyvesant Wainwright
Year: 1905
Row No.: 102

Source: Herreshoff, L. Francis. "Partial List of Herreshoff-Built Boats." In: Herreshoff, L. Francis. Capt. Nat Herreshoff. The Wizard of Bristol. New York, 1953, p. 325-343.

From the 2000 (ca.) Transcription of the HMCo Construction Record by Vermilya/Bray

Year: 1904
E/P/S: S
No.: 0639
Name: Cara Mia
LW: 30'
B: 8' 9"
D: 6' 3.5"
Rig: J & M
K: y
Ballast: Lead O.
Last Name: Wainwright
First Name: S.

Source: Vermilya, Peter and Maynard Bray. "Transcription of the HMCo. Construction Record." Unpublished database, ca. 2000.

Note: The transcription of the HMCo Construction Record by Peter Vermilya and Maynard Bray was performed independently (and earlier) than that by Claas van der Linde. A comparison of the two transcriptions can be particularly useful in those many cases where the handwriting in the Construction Record is difficult to decipher.

Research Note(s)

"[Sail no. 14. Sail no. 19 (by mistake) for a few years until 1922, when it was changed back to 14 at the request of Gherardi Davis, then class chairman.]" (Source: Davis, Gherardi. "A History of the The New York Yacht Club Thirty Foot Class." New York Yacht Club, ca. 1926.)

"H. A. Calahan, the owner of Old Timer, ex Cara Mia during the 1920s and 1930s, wrote numerours yachting guides in which he frequently mentions Old Timer and New York 30 sailing technique and examples:
Calahan, Harold Augustin. Learning To Race. New York, 1934.
Calahan, Harold Augustin. Learning To Cruise. New York, 1935.
Calahan, Harold Augustin and John Bond Trevor. Wind And Tide In Yacht Racing. New York, 1936.
Calahan, Harold Augustin. Gadgets And Wrinkles: A Compendium Of Man's Ingenuity At Sea. New York, 1938.
Calahan, Harold Augustin. Rigging. New York, 1940
Calahan, Harold Augustin. Learning To Race. New York, 1944.
Calahan, Harold Augustin. So You're Going To Buy A Boat. New York, 1947.
Calahan, Harold Augustin. Sailing Technique. New York, 1950." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. February 12, 2011.)

"For more information about the New York 30 class, see ny30.herreshoff.info and the NY-30 Class Website." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. June 21, 2016.)

"Launch date signifies the date vessel was taken on low gear to cove for winter storage." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. November 4, 2011.)

"Built in 93 days (contract to launch; equivalent to 190 lbs displacement/day)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. January 16, 2024.)

"Sail area 1085 sqft from untitled two-page rating-rule-related table handwritten (in ink) by N. G. Herreshoff with multiple dimensions for the most important Herreshoff-designed yachts. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum. MRDE15, Folder [no #]. Undated (the most recent boat dates 1914/1915 and the table was probably prepared in preparation for NGH's sail area rating rule of 1914/1915)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. September 16, 2020.)

"[Sail area 1085 sq.ft.]" (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. "Formula for Obtaining the Limit of Sail-Area in Yachts when Measured by the Universal Rule Formula." Bristol, R.I., July 13, 1907 with later additions. Original handwritten (in ink) document with penciled additions. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE06_00080.)

"Displacement 276.5 cu.ft. [= 17,696 lbs] from untitled two-page rating-rule-related table handwritten (in ink) by N. G. Herreshoff with multiple dimensions for the most important Herreshoff-designed yachts. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum. MRDE15, Folder [no #]. Undated (the most recent boat dates 1914/1915 and the table was probably prepared in preparation for NGH's sail area rating rule of 1914/1915)." (Source: van der Linde, Claas. September 16, 2020.)

"[Displacement (276 cubic feet = 17,664 lbs).]" (Source: Herreshoff, N. G. "Formula for Obtaining the Limit of Sail-Area in Yachts when Measured by the Universal Rule Formula." Bristol, R.I., July 13, 1907 with later additions. Original handwritten (in ink) document with penciled additions. Halsey C. Herreshoff Collection at the Herreshoff Marine Museum Item MRDE06_00080.)

Note: Research notes contain information about a vessel that is often random and unedited but has been deemed useful for future research.

Note

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Citation: HMCo #639s Cara Mia. Herreshoff Catalogue Raisonné. https://herreshoff.info/Docs/S00639_Cara_Mia.htm.